As You Like It (2006)

User Rating:

6.4/10   

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

Kenneth Branagh (adaptation)
William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

1 September 2006 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy | Romance

Tagline:

Romance...or something like it.

Plot:

Rosalind, the daughter of Duke Senior (the banished duke), is raised at the court of Duke Frederick...

Plot Keywords:

Forest | Cross Dressing | Melancholy | Exile | Idyllic Setting

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Takuya Shimada	...	Geisha
Brian Blessed	...	Duke Senior / Duke Frederick
Richard Clifford	...	Le Beau
Bryce Dallas Howard	...	Rosalind
Patrick Doyle	...	Amiens
Romola Garai	...	Celia
Adrian Lester	...	Oliver De Boys
Alfred Molina	...	Touchstone
Kevin Kline	...	Jaques
Janet McTeer	...	Audrey
Gerard Horan	...	Denis
David Oyelowo	...	Orlando De Boys
Richard Briers	...	Adam
Nobuyuki Takano	...	Charles
Paul Chan	...	William

MPAA:

Rated PG for violence and some sexual material.

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:PG | UK:12A

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

BBC Films

Trivia:

The film has received a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild nomination in the "Made-for-TV" category even though it was not actually made for television. It was released to theatres abroad before premiering on HBO in the United States.

Quotes:

Jaques: All the world's a stage,/And all the men and women merely players./They have their exits and their entrances/And each man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Under the Greenwood Tree

Branagh is a genius

For me, Keneth Branagh's film adaptation of Shakespeare's As You Like It was a sublime experience. It was late at night, my wife out of town visiting her family, and me, nothing much to do but fall asleep on the couch. But I stumbled upon HBO's broadcast of As You Like It, and I am transported. The setting was not Elizabethan England, but 19th century Japan. Why? Frankly, I don't know, but it worked for me, as I was immediately pulled in to this mythical land of families divided between those of hearts hardened by war and those who courageously broke away from unhappy dysfunction seeking the pure promise of passion and love. I found the setting equally striking with the dark brown colors of the warlord's house contrasted with the lush, magical, green forest of those longing for their lovers. I found the acting exuberant and joyful, not at all overdone, but appropriate for the subjects at hand: love, passion, melancholy, and the tearful reconciliation between waring brothers. For me, this was a beautiful work of art, and Branagh deserves nothing but praise for it all.